Wednesday, August 13, 2008

My wife and I were gone to a business convention, and let me tell you, it was actually great to be back and see the kids again!

I highly recommend to any mom or dad out there to get away once in a while. I will fully admit that my kids were on my last nerve before I left. Now that we were both gone for a little bit, we came back refreshed and with a new found vigor for being parents!

So, just do it, get away if you can, if only for a night and leave the kids with a baby sitter. You will be glad you did.

Time away can make a big difference for you and your wife. It's incredible how much fun we had!

Tuesday, July 29, 2008

Since the Democratic National Convention is coming to my hometown in the near future, I thought I would let you all know about a neat thing they are doing to help the environment while here.

The Democratic National Convention Committee began working with NativeEnergy Inc. this spring to purchase carbon offsets for the dozens of convention staff who are flying, driving and otherwise polluting Denver as they carry out the big event.

Party organizers are now asking that delegates, members of the media and other political officials who will be attending the late August gathering do the same.

Delegates to the convention with the highest percentage of members offsetting their carbon emissions will be recognized in their seating section on the floor of the Pepsi Center, the site of the first three days of the event. If they offset their travel, they are also expected to receive a ''green item'' to distinguish themselves during convention week.

The effort, called the Green Delegate Challenge, is intended to encourage friendly competition among state delegates and to offer special rewards for the delegation or delegations that show the highest level of commitment to offsetting their carbon footprints as a result of attending the Denver convention.

To date, the average carbon footprints of all delegates from California, Vermont and Nevada have been accounted for through delegate participation in the program.

How cool is that? Not only are the Dems brining big business to the Mile High City, they are helping keep it clean too!!

Sunday, July 20, 2008

"To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; to earn the appreciation of critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty, to find the best in others, to leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition; to know even one live has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded."

Wednesday, July 16, 2008

Some of you may know that I am a WAHD who is married and has two little girls. Let me tell you, those girls especially know how to keep you humble, grounded and focused on what is most important.

This morning I had big plans for my business. Lots of e-mails to write, lots of articles and blogs to update, etc.

However, my youngest had a different idea altogether. She in particular has had a hard time adjusting to mommy going off to work and me being at home with her. She is always so anxious to see my wife that she gets up extra early (often before 6AM) to see my wife before she goes off to work.

Well today, my daughter reached her limit. She was exhausted from getting up early and had an utter melt down.

Now, of course I had plans to get work done. Unfortunately my first reaction is to tell her to be quiet so daddy could work. However, one look at her and I knew that she needed my attention.....

I did the old count to 10....catch my breath for having to drop all of my work for her.....and then sat with her on the couch and help her calm down......It only took me 30 minutes ;)

Anyway, I realized afterwards that I am glad I am able to be there for her. Quite different than my previous life in corporate america.

Wednesday, July 9, 2008

Finally, my oldest is back is School!!! She started 2nd grade this week. Yes, we are on a year round school system. She has been off for 5 of the last 8 weeks. It was my first time having both kids at home the entire time and WOW...that was hard!!

Wednesday, July 2, 2008

Just learned thru a press release that the Federal Government, specifically the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has reversed its decision regarding its prohibition on accepting applications for renewable solar energy on public lands

What a great move! This means that the Federal Government will essentially allow the use of Federal Lands for renewable energy sources. Think of all those vast empty areas in the SouthWest and Western US which are undeveloped and have huge amounts of sunny days each year. Those lands can now be use to harness solar power! Horray for lower electricity bills.....now I can use that money we are going to save for buying gas... :)

Tuesday, June 24, 2008

More uncharted fatherhood territory for me here. My oldest daughter is off of school for two weeks (we are on a year round school system here) and I am quickly learning about the concept of a "Play Date".

What is a "Play Date" you might ask? Well, up until recently I had no idea what one was. I mean I understood the concept of it, but never really knew how they worked. How does one arrange a "Play Date" for a daughter of theirs?

In case you were wondering, the whole topic of the two phrases "My Daughter" and "Date" always elicited a response like, "She will never date when she is a teenager, I am going to send her off to a monastery when she reaches 13." So....you understand where I am coming from on this?

It just feels plain weird calling up another Mom from my daughters class and asking if Johnny 1st grader can come over for a "Play Date" with my daughter. Again, re-read the previous paragraph and you will understand when "daughter" and "date" are in the same sentence I get pretty strong negative emotions.......

What is even more weird is blurting out the phrase to a Mom "Play Date".

Again, one of those things and conversations that I never EVER would have imagined I would be having before I became a SAHD/WAHD.

Has anyone else had any experiences or problems with the phrase "Play Date"?

Wednesday, June 18, 2008

Did you hear what happened in San Francisco recently? The city enacted a bill which would give HUGE and MASSIVE rebates to people installing renewable energy, specifically solar energy in their homes or businesses. The major of good ole San Fran signed this into legislation today!

If a home installs a photovoltaic (solar) system, they are eligible for between $3000-$5000 in tax rebates, and for a business the rebate goes up to $10,000. Wow! That is over $3 million worth of tax incentives for renewable energy!

While this is an overall effort that is being looked at across California, San Francisco lead the way with this.

In my humble opinion, there are many other cities ans states which have the potential to benefit even more than this.

Sunday, June 15, 2008

This is a day that naturally many of us reflect on our fathers and our relationship with them or what they taught us.

My father always tried to teach me the value of work. In fact when I was young he gave me a copy of this poem to try and put into words what he could not.

It is a poem penned by General MacArthur and yes my dad was a West Point grad as well so he had a natural affinity for great alumni from there. However, this poem still does ring true and makes me think about many things.

I'm posting this in dedication of my dad. Happy Fathers Day!

Build Me a SonGeneral Douglas A. MacArthur

Build me a son, O Lord,who will be strong enough to know when he is weak, and brave enough to face him self when he is afraid;one who will be proud and unbending in honest defeat,and humble and gentle in victory.

Build me a son whose wishbone will not bewhere his backbone should be;a son who will know Thee-and that to know himself is the foundation stone of knowledge.

Lead him, I pray, not in the path of ease and comfort,but under the stress and spur of difficulties and challenge. Here, let him learn to stand up in the storm;here, let him team compassion for those who fall.

Build me a son whose heart will be clear, whose goals will be high;a son who will master himselfbefore he seeks to master other men;one who will learn to laugh, yet never forget how to weep;one who will reach into the future, yet never forget the past.

And after all these things are his, add, I pray,enough of a sense of humor, so that he may always be serious, yet never take himself too seriously.

Give him humility, so that he may always remember the simplicity of true greatness, the open mind of true wisdom,the meekness of true strength.

Wednesday, June 11, 2008

I have addressed this in a previous post, however, after a recent comment by another Stay-At-Home/Work-At-Home Dad, I feel this needs re-addressing.

Often this is one of the first points of conversation with a new acquaintance, particularly with other guys. Even with the many ladies I meet at the playground this question comes up.

So, essentially what I do is run a business my wife started out of my house. I help and train others to realize that they can do this same thing too, its really not that hard to do if you know how and are willing to learn. My true passion lies with helping parents live the life they want to lead and spend more time with their families.

In particular, I concentrate on teaching a system and "non-selling" technique in my business and marketing which focuses on on-line lead generation for any business. Its a technique of becoming the hunted instead of the hunter in your home business, applicable to anyone.

I can teach you that marketing your business or any business can be as easy as passing out DVDs.

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

Major development here! Duke Energy just announced that they will be building a 20 megawatt solar power project in North Carolina. All I can say is WOW!

The overall cost will be close to $100 Million overall. However, the really cool part is that this installation will not just be at one or two solar stations, but at over 850 sites across North Carolina. The sites will include homes, offices, and factories. Anywhere where there is spare roof space.

The project is supposed to take two years to complete and provide enough electricity for over 2600 homes.

Of course, you can Go Green in your own home with great Eco-friendly cleaning products! Go Green!

Monday, June 9, 2008

It has finally come to this. Reflecting upon it, this has been one of the most surreal days I have had as a Stay-At-Home Dad. You know it is really one of those days when I say, "I never ever thought I would be doing this." I really had to catch myself and ask, "How did I get here?"

The culminating event, or events, was at a swim lesson for my four year old daughter. We go with a Stat-At-Home Mom neighbor of ours to a local swim place where both of our kids take lessons.

I was chatting with this Mom about what my daughter and I were going to do for the rest of the day, and I replied, "We are going to the grocery store and picking up a few things. You know, we use the 'Grocery Game' and it saves us a ton of money." We then proceeded to talk for a few more minutes about the Grocery Game and how it saved us a ton of money. Several other moms were sitting nearby and they also chimed in their own comment and questions, "Does that game really work?" or "I've heard of that and always wanted to do it". Another question was, "I hear that you need to go to like 10 different stores in order to do the Grocery Game." I then proceeded to tell them all that it was easy and that we only went to two grocery stores and yes it does save a ton of money.

I then had a moment of absolute clarity. Did I really just have a 10 minute conversation about the Grocery Game with 4 moms? How did my life become this?

Several minutes later I sent my 4 year old daughter to the changing room to get out of her wet swimming suit and into dry clothes. Little did I know that she had another plan and proceeded to completely strip down in the changing room.....and then run around the pool area without any clothes. Of course I chased her all around until I caught her and promptly brought her back and got her dressed. It took me about 5 minutes to get her back in the changing room.

Again, another moment of clarity. Did I really just have to chase around my stripped down daughter in a public place? Again, how did my life become this?

To top it off, when I finally got home I discovered that the dog had pooped AND peed on the carpet upstairs. I found myself very quickly cleaning up the mess.

I just never imagined a sequence of events like that would ever happen to me. All in one day, all in one hour. How did I get here? Well, I believe my wife and I decided that this arrangement would be best.

I just laughed it off. How many Dads get to have a day and experience like this?

Tuesday, June 3, 2008

It seem that consumer purchasing power is having a huge impact on the auto industry. Have you all heard the news that Ford and GM are going to focus more on production of smaller cars vs. bigger SUVs. Definitely a win for the wallet and for the planet.

Another big sign of this changing world is GM's announcement that it will close 4 big SUV manufacturing plants and is thinking about selling its ailing line Hummer. Wow! No more Hummers? Holy Cow.

The company doesn't seem to be burying its head in the sand either: “We don’t believe it’s a spike or a temporary shift. We believe it is, by and large, permanent,” said GM chairman Rick Wagoner.

Lets hope they learned from their $51 billion loses over the past three years and are really serious.

What about you? Have you been driving less? Looking at smaller cars? Let us know!

Sunday, June 1, 2008

The answer to who said, "He who knows what sweets and virtues are in the ground, the waters, the plants, the heavens, and how to come at these enchantments, is the rich and royal man.", is Ralph Waldo Emerson, 1844.

No one guessed the answer this week. Thank you to those who participated.

Thursday, May 29, 2008

There is tons of advice on everything web or business related out there, all you need to do is ask, and people in general will help.

Case in point. This week I took it upon myself to ask several in the blogging community for advice on my blog. Nothing special, but just asking for help with the layout. Since I don't know an Html from an Xbox, I have been struggling with some basic formatting here.

Let me tell you, what a response I got. I had about 20 people leave me comments or messages on their opinion on everything on my web site. I'll admit I have a LONG way to go, but I have already made several changes, and have ideas for many news ones. I even received three links to web sites with free blog layout templates (I think the person was really trying to say I needed to change my template). Here is a list of free blog layout templates:

My point really is this....what I have found in my brief time blogging is that there IS help out there, for whatever your issue is. Whether it is web SEO advice, or marketing advice, or free blunt comments on your blog, our different ways to promote my business, people in general are willing to give a helping hand. Most of the advice out there is for free, and people are willing to give it out, all you need to ask. It only takes a little time and persistence.

I have personally learned a tremendous amount in the last month or so by reading, chatting, and asking for advice. What a great community this is!

Wednesday, May 28, 2008

Did you know that the air we breathe indoors can be one of the most hazardous things to our health? It can be up to 10 times worse for you than the air outside. Microbial pollutants like mold, pet dander and plant pollen can combine with chemicals like radon and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) to create a pretty toxic environment in your home; since we spend an average of 90% of our time indoors and 65% of our time inside our homes, that can add up to allergies, asthma and worse.

Everything that comes in to our homes has the potential to be harmful to our health; this includes things from the building materials and elements that hold our homes together to the furniture we sit on and the paint that goes on the walls. Indoor air pollution can be bad, but it doesn't have to be.

Here are four easy steps for better air quality indoors:

1) Open those doors and windows! Maintaining proper ventilation in a house can help air quality tremendously.

2)Use Green Cleaning Products. These can help you cut way down on the toxins that YOU introduce into your home. Face it, that clean smell from clorox or fantastic.....those are chemicals which are BAD for you!

3) Use a good Air Filtration System. Lets face it, we can't get rid of all of the carpet, bedding, and wall insulation in our house. This Air Filtration System eliminates all three of the major forms of air pollution: particles such as pollen, pet dander, dust, and cigarette smoke; microbes such as mold and bacteria; and gases and odors.

4) Keep Pesticides out of your garden and lawn. These can easily be tracked back into your house and create fumes in your house.

Tuesday, May 27, 2008

I ran across a certain web site called Creative Citizentoday. It is an action based "wiki" site which allows anyone to post, search, share or refine eco-friendly solutions to a more sustainable living. The online community is devoted to three principles:

Monday, May 26, 2008

I just wanted to write a quick post to commemorate Memorial Day and those who are currently serving in the military here and overseas. Particularly those who gave their life in service of their country defending our freedom. I can think of no greater honor than that.

I am posting a picture of Arlington National Cemetery and the Tomb of the Unknowns here in honor of this day.

Do you have anyone who you know who either is or was in it the military? Please comment and let us know about them! Honor them by telling us the great service they did for their country.

Friday, May 23, 2008

I apologize for my absence this week. I have been visiting my parents on the event of their 50th anniversary and have been quite busy either helping them, travelling, or helping prepare for their party.

OK, so second installment of the thought for the weekend about the environment. Who said this?

"When the well's dry, we know the worth of water."

Hint, it was a Founding Father. No cheating by looking it up on the Internet!

Tuesday, May 20, 2008

OK, so being the Green Entrepreneur that I am, I am always looking for new web site that I can use that might be beneficial to our company. Maybe they have a new tidbit of information on it or a cool way to layout your blog or what have you.

Well, today a ran accross Squidoo from the WAHM site. She has great resources on it for anyone (even WAHDs) that is trying to increase their traffic to their site or online marketing or whatever.

Its an interesting concept. Instead of continually updating your blog on a daily (or ever other day for that matter in my case) basis, its more of like a one-pager of information about anything you want to Squidoo about. For those of you who are passionate about being Green, you could include tips about Green living. For the Stay-at-Home crowd, you could write about tips for staying organized for the new stay-at-homers. When I went on there today and did a search, every topic under the sun had a Squidoo "Lense" as they call it. Everyone is an expert at something they claim on the site.

One really interesting possibility is that it has the potential to drive traffic to any site that you want to target, whether it is your blog, or another web site you promote or what have you.

A VERY cool feature of it is that there is the built-in ability to donate any proceeds you get from your site to charity. How cool is that?

I do not claim to be a Squidoo expert at all. But, I think I will give it a try and see how it works and what it does.

Has anyone else used Squidoo at all before and what results did they see?

Monday, May 19, 2008

I read a recent article in the paper about how houses in a certain city in my State were getting bigger each year.

I live in the Denver Colorado burbs and the article in question is about the "mansionization" of homes in Boulder County Colorado. Over the past 20 years, the average new-home sizes have grown from about 2700 square feet (which is about average for the country) to MORE THAN 6000 square feet. 6000 square feet average for a new house? Wow!

At first glance, I must admit that I was a little envious. What was I doing wrong so that we could not afford something like this "average" house? I took a deep breath and remembered that the choices we made and continue to make keep us away from things like this and my wife and I are glad we are.

Kudos to you if you own a large home and like it. I think if it works for you, then more power to you.

My wife and I have often discussed this and we decided years ago to live in a more modest home, for these reasons.: when you own a larger home there are thing that go along with it other than just size, all of which affect the environment. It costs more to heat, it takes more time to maintain, it takes LONGER CLEAN (although all of my friends who live in houses like that don't do any of their cleaning themselves), longer to care for the lawn (same thing....most that I know who own houses like this have someone take care of their lawn for them), and of course the big one.....it takes more STUFF to fill it.

All of that takes energy, raw materiels from the environment, and eventually you end up with stuff that just goes into the dumpster to get more stuff.

Now we hardly live as paupers. We have a smallish home in a nice newer neighborhood, great place to raise the kids and such.

However, probably the biggest advantage of us living in a smaller home has been that it has afforded us the lifestyle that we currently live in right now. I could leave my job and switch places with my wife without any real economic downside to it. No huge worries (OK maybe one or two) and she could go back to work and I could work her business she started and take care of the kids.

I guess its all about making different choices, chosing to live with less, having less of an impact on the environment, and enjoying ourselves while we do it.

Thursday, May 15, 2008

OK, so I am a big fan of quotes from famous people. I think we can learn a lot from people who have been successful. Now the measure of success can be many things....in business, politics, social causes, at home.

So, I wanted to start something where I put either a quote or picture on here to give you some food for thought for the weekend.

Here goes my first one. Who said this?

"There can be no greater issue than that of conservation in this country."

I'll give you a hint. It was a President of the United States who said this.

So who said this? Leave a comment and guess. No cheating though! You can't look up the answer on the Internet anywhere!

This is the 2nd part in a series from a lecture I attended on longevity and healthy aging. In the first part, I discussed how having a long life does not necessarily correlate to having a healthy one.

Here are some facts about Americans:

- We have excessive calorie intake.- 27% of adults are obese- 61% of adults are overweight- Here is the disturbing statistic.....9 million kids over the age of 6 are obeseThe Center for disease control published a study called "Obesity Trends among U.S. Adults between 1985 and 2005." Go look at the link with the maps associated with it.....you will be stunned. There are state by state trends on obesity and it is very startling. In the last 20 years America woke up and was fat.

Why is this particularly important? Because of the impact on kids. A typical child born in 2000 has a 30-40% chance of developing type 2 diabetes.... Also, in a previous blog, I mentioned that if things do not change, this generation being born now will be the first one in the history of humanity that will have a shorter life expectancy than the previous one.

There are three social dimensions to how these obesity trends relate to kids:- More of a trend of have two working parents and therefore more fast food being consumed in the sake of convenience.- PE programs are being removed from school.- There are more vending machines in schools selling non-nutritional snacks (largely to help get more $$ back into schools to with ever increasing budgets).- The physical layout of communities has changed. We are driving more and more and walking less to places.

Interestingly, there are also problems with how our food supply and how it is structured in the United States. We have large government subsidies for foods that are high calorie, low nutrient value (wheat, corn, etc). In fact, we used to define malnutrition based upon caloric intake instead of like now which is nutrient based.

So what can we do about this?

For adults, there are great nutritionally based weight loss programs. In most diets, we restrict our food intake and as a result lose protein in our diet and loose muscle. That is why your weight boomerangs back after we go off of a diet. Not on this onethough.

For kids, turn off the TV, offer healthy snacks, and kick the kids out of the house to play. Here is a great kids vitamin supplement to help ensure they get all of the nutrients they need.

In the next blog on this lecture, I will talk about specific recommendations from the National Institute of Health on healthy aging.

Do you have any ideas or suggestions on healthy aging? Please comment!

Wednesday, May 14, 2008

My 7 year old daughter (the one in the picture with my wife) has been taking piano lessons for a while now. Usually, we have to struggle and argue and fuss to get her to practice. Its only 15 minutes a day that her teacher requires, but some days, we just don't the energy to argue with her to get her to practice.

In fact, we just inherited a stand-up piano from my wife's aunt. We thought that this would make her excited to practice, it helped a little for the first few days anyway......

The last two months of practice has been trying. My wife took piano for years and was able to sit down with her to help her practice. However, I have no musical skill whatsoever (except in the shower of course). So, I can't exactly help her out with piano practice.

Until this morning. Very proud parent moment. My daughter woke up on her own and was immediately asked by her younger sister to come play for a little bit. Her response was great, "No, I can't I have to practice my piano now."

Did I hear that correctly? Moments later, I heard her practicing....WOW!! Maybe we have turned the corner a bit on this issue? Only time will tell. Definately a proud parent right now though!

Now, I would have missed this if I was not staying at home. This moment definitely re-enforced the decision for me to stay home with the kids and and work on our business as well. I've missed so many of these moments in the past, I feel I need to make up for them. Only by having our business could we make up the difference between my former salary and my wife's current salary!

Here is to moments like these! Has anyone else ever had these kind of moments?

Monday, May 12, 2008

First let me tell you that I am in my infancy for on-line advertising. I only started going on-line for any form of advertising all of three weeks ago. This is not an "how to" right kind of blog today, but more of a "how do you" or "its harder than it looks".

My wife started, and has been highly successful, at networking and word of mouth advertising for her business. I'll call it that, but really what she is wonderful at is developing relationships and helping people out, using our businessas a vehicle for that. I've always watched in amazement at how she can just strike up a conversation with a new person and end up helping them. She is a natural chatter and definitely has the "law of attraction" thing going for her.

As you may have read before I took over "her" business when I quit my job and it became "our business". I figured that since I had been a "big bidnezz man" in my previous life, I would have no problem escalating our business to the next level. A little professional networking and some marketing of our website and things would fall right into place. After all, I was a professional...I knew how to make things happen.

Well, things couldn't have been further from the truth in this regard. While I've had moderate success networking and marketing, it has not nearly taken off like gang busters like I thought it would. I have learned alot in the last month and am implementing some new ideas. However, once again, I have new found admiration for my wife and what has an continues to accomplish.

So, my question is, are there any suggestions on how to get things moving in this arena of on-line marketing? There are a innumerable blogs and sites to go to, but I am looking for suggestions from those of you who are more experienced at this.

Sunday, May 11, 2008

Instead of a long post about my wife in her day, I decided to post my favorite picture of her and my oldest daughter. It was taken a few years ago by an amateur photographer, and I had to scan it to get in on here, but I just love the image of them together! I'm not sure why it is my favorite of them two of them but it is.

The actual picture is posted on the sidebar of the blog here. I'll keep it up for a few days to celebrate Mothers Day.

Friday, May 9, 2008

The other night I attended a lecture from a visiting professor from my alma matter Cornell. He is the Director of Nutrition at my ole school. Every once in a while, my local alumni club puts together events, one of which every year is a lecture given by a visiting professor from our school.

The topic in question was on Longevity and Healthy Aging. He talked about what studies have show on how to achieve them and what the relation is between the two.

His first point was that Healthy Aging does not necessarily equal Longevity. You can have a long life without having a healthy one.

Case in point.......one study he quoted..the name escapes me right now, showed how a reduction in caloric intake can directly increase ones lifespan. A 30%-40% reduction in caloric intake can increase ones lifespan by a marked amount. Instead of consuming the recommended 2000 calories, take this down to 1400 calories. All body functions (metabolism, etc) are optimized at this calorie level. No one has figured out WHY this works, but it does work. Somehow the burning of calories shortens life span.

However, that same study noted that while those people lived longer, they were always tired, showed signs of depression, irritability, and continued to be hungry! They clearly were not living healthy!

An interesting point was that our genes are NOT accustomed to having food in abundance. Throughout most of our history, humans have NOT had an ample supply of food. Therefore, we have evolved to survive and thrive without massive amounts of food. The typical American diet has WAY TOO MANY calories in it! More on that in a later post.

He then went on to quote that there is an organization, calorie restriction .org, that promotes a calorie restricted diet. A study of some members showed that their cardiovascular system was typically 16 years younger than those not on their kind of diet. It also showed that these people were always hungry, felt depressed, tired, and irritable.

His main point here was that with a calorie restricted diet, while it may increase your longevity, you DO NOT get enough of the proper nutrients to live healthily!

Clearly, we are meant to receive all of the proper nutrients which is extremely hard to achieve with the typical American diet.

Why am I posting this? I want to encourage everyone to live a healthy life...one full of energy and happiness. Go green inside and out!

One of our site affiliates is the #1 natural nutrition company in the worldand has exceptional nutritional supplements. I know I have used them and have noticed a huge improvement in energy and general mood. You can take a look at their stuff here. Or, click on the link on the side bar titled "Healthy for You".

I'll post more of this lecture in the next few blogs. Healthy Aging might be a little dry for some, but its an extremely important topic which I feel people need to know about!

Thursday, May 8, 2008

Continuing sage of my coverage of the group of baseball players Gone Green! I'm covering this as two of my biggest passions (baseball and helping the environment) have combined in this fine group of gentlemen. Go SAWX!!

Of course its cool to find other guys interested in the environment!

This is how the prescribe to get to "1st Base"

First Base: Hitting a seeing-eye SINGLE up the middle!Recycle! Get the whole family to participate!

Twenty years ago there were only 1,000 curbside programs in the U.S. Today there are more than 10,000. The rate of recycling has doubled during the past 15 years. But still... ONLY 32% of us recycle!If we increase the recycling rate just 10 percent for aluminum and steel cans, plastic and glass containers, newsprint and corrugated packaging, we would save enough energy to provide electricity to 1.8 million Americans for an entire year.

Here’s a clear mental picture of what adding Recycling to our line-up can do?!

Recycling really improves the environment! Check this out... recycling:-Prevents the emission of many greenhouse gases and water pollutants-Saves energy-Supplies valuable raw materials to industry-Creates jobs-Encourages development of greener technologies-Conserves resources for our children's future-Reduces the need for new landfills

Wednesday, May 7, 2008

I wanted to relate a experience I had the other day regarding a particular business man and the impression he left me.

I've been marketing a particular "Go Green" product package to Realtors as thank you gifts. Whenever I have moved and bought a house (I moved 10 times in 11 years in the Army), I always got a thank you gift. Something usually like a fruit basket or flowers and always unexciting.

Well, an associate of mine recommended that I put together a "Green" thank you gift for Realtors. It would be a unique gift that would definitely stand out. It was full of non-toxic, biodegradable cleaners and other stuff from my business. What is the last thing that people think of when they move in and what is the first thing they do? Clean-up before they move their stuff in! Why not have them do it in a green and non-toxic way? That kind of gift would definitely make the realtor stick out in a buyers mind.

Anyway, I had set-up an appointment with one individual to have him look at this gift for his business. 9AM sharp on Tuesday.

Well, as it turned out, on Monday came around and I absolutely needed to take my daughter in for something the next morning. Couldn't get around it. There was no way I was going to be able to help my daughter AND go to that appointment I had set.

Now, in my previous life as a "Big Bidnez" man, cancelling on anything was extremely frowned upon. Damn the consequences.

One bad experience I had was when I missed out on the end of a small project because the deadline had moved on me.....a month before it was due. I had plans to go see my terminally ill mother across the country and I was not going to change them. I had made arrangements for a colleague of mine to cover down on the project for me and nothing was going to be missed.

As a result, I went on my trip, and caught a huge amount of flack from my boss for it. That is my impression ....up until now....on how businesses operated unfortunately. Another straw that drove me to leave corporate America.

Anyway, I called him expecting to get an extremely negative reaction from him. But, I had to take care of my daughter so I needed to re-schedule. When I talked to him and explained the situation, he said something that I will remember for a long time, "Ahh don't worry, family always comes first. If that wasn't true with you or anyone else, I would absolutely not be interested in doing business with you or them!"

Wow!! So instead of coming out with a horrible feeling, I felt elated and confirmed that I am doing the right thing being a SAHD/WAHD.

Kudos to this guy. I still haven't met with him to cover the original appointment, but I would do anything he asked and will refer all the business I can to him!

He is definately my kind of business man AND I am going to remember the statement he made!

Tuesday, May 6, 2008

This is a group of former major league baseball players who have teamed up to help promote environmental causes. The Fields of Green Team, led by former All-Star Darrell Evans (anyone who is a baseball fan from the 70s and 80s remembers him) includes other players like: Johnnie Lemaster, Mike Torrez, Kelly Gruber, Bill Lee, Gary Matthews, Gary Lavelle, and Butch Hobson.

In an interview on this site, Darrell Evans talks about the goals for this group and site:

1) He saw that most environmental issues were driven by women, he and several other former major league players were concerned about how we were handing our planet to our children so they decided to group together as guys and do something about the environmental future of our planet.

Monday, May 5, 2008

Recently, a great organization Healthy Child Healthy World, did an independant evaluation of our Go Clean cleaning products and endoresed them as being safe for kids.

This web site and organization is a leading national non-profit organization dedicated to creating healthy environments for children and families. They have lots of resources and hints and tips on their web site not only for having healthy homes, but how to handle day to day family stuff.

Apparently, the founders of this web site have their own tragic story of personal loss on how their own child was lost due to cancer and the link to toxins in the home. They originally opened up a fund to support scientific research on the risks to children from environmental toxics. The founders personal story can be seen here and is a must read for all of us concerned about our kids and the environment.

As a parent, I think it is an important topic that we must all become educated on, if only for the safety of our kids.

So, go check out their web site and check out the safe home cleaning products they endorse here.

Saturday, May 3, 2008

I've been asked on numerous occasions, "Do you really do that?" I find it an odd question but understandable. Most people do not realize that one can be a SAH parent AND be in charge of our own business. I''ll address those two topics in the next several paragraphs.

In terms of being a stay at home parent, I my wife and I have always thought (least for me and my wife) that if our life situation allowed, that one parent be there when the kids are at home. Its just part of what we wanted to be as a parent team when we first started thinking of raising a family. Now this I know is only true for our situation, and not true for all families. Some very successful families have both parents working full-time outside of the house. I tip my hat to them, I know my wife and I couldn't manage that. So, when the situation came up that my wife was going back to work, I didn't think twice (OK, maybe twice anyway) about staying at home with my kids. Its just part of what we do as a family. Or a solution to a problem so to speak. Both of us found it rewarding in different ways at different times.

In terms of being in charge of ones own business, well I'll definitely say that you have to want to do it. No bones about it, you gotta want to work at it. There is definitelyalot of work involved, but there is an equal amount of reward as well. I don't mean entirely financial reward either. I greatly cherish the fact that I am the boss. How my business does is a direct reflection of how hard and how smart that my wife and I work at it. I've worked for other people and is not my cup of tea. I loved it in the Army when I was in charge, making all the decisions, calling all the shots.

I will tell you that for myself, I have found ample opportunity to work if as a SAH parent. You've just gotta decide to give up a few things. For example, I can't remember the last time I watched TV. Not interested in the least in it, except for the news and weather probably.Being organized is key. Don't get me wrong, I do enjoy other things as well. I ski, exercise, jam out on video games once in a while, love going to baseball games, hang out with my kids, etc. I just make the best use of my time that I can.

I'll admit what I do is not for everyone, but the rewards can be great. You can be there for your family, AND run your own business. I still coach my kids soccer team, drop them off for school, take them to piano, help them with their homework. Instead of leisure time, I work at my business. It's an awesome life in my opinion. Fun being there for my family AND having something myself.

I heard this somewhere and I think its a great quote. You have to create the future you want, it wont come to you by thinking about it! That's what I'm doing, creating the life I want and I love it!

Thursday, May 1, 2008

"So what do you do?" is the common question when you are meeting someone casually for the first time. Until recently, I could always reply, "I'm an Army Officer" or "I'm a big important exec at XYZ corporation" or something to that effect.

However, recently I have been a little perplexed as to how to properly answer that question. I stay at home with my kids and work an awesome business that my wife started...so i wonder, how do I answer now?

I guess many people go thru some sort of questioning like this whenever they go thru a big life change like I did. For the most part though, I always imagined I would always be a "Big Bidnez Man" or something along those lines.

I guess what I have come to the realization of is that its not about a title or anything like that, but about who you are and what you care about and how you help others that is important. I truly cherish the fact that I am staying at home with my kids now and have given my wife the opportunity to pursue her career goals. I'm also very appreciative of the fact that I am working with a wonderful company.

So...I guess my reply to the question is now, "What do I do? Well, I'm the Jolly Green Dad."

Wednesday, April 30, 2008

I mentioned in my last blog that we were a vendor at a home expo list last weekend, and at that expo we received quite a bit of work. This morning I was in a rush to try and finish some work we had picked up at the expo before taking the kids off to school. However, both of my girls were quite demanding and "needed" an adult to get them ready for the day.

"Daddy...daddy...daddy" was their mantra this morning. As my temperature began to rise and my state of exasperation increased....I kept thinking, "How am I gonna get this stuff done?"

Well, I did what I usually (well at least try) to do when my kids get me going, hold my breath and count to 10,9,8,7,6.....

Phew....that brought me back to my senses. I thought, "Does it really matter if I get this stuff done RIGHT now? My girls need me and that is the most important thing. This stuff can wait."

Seems that sometimes it takes me to count to 10 in order to remember what is really important. Everyone should try it.

Monday, April 28, 2008

I just wanted to say a little bit about the vast interest in Going Green these days, in particular with companies that want to tie themselves into that image.

This weekend, my wife and I were exhibitors at a Home Expo displaying our products, specifically our Eco-Friendly line of cleaners, Go Green. While we did generate some interest from customers perusing the fair, the biggest interest by far came from companies that wanted to get in on the whole "Go Green" thing. One company approached my wife and wanted to use our products as thank you gifts for the services that they render. They were looking for something different and thought that our Go Cleanproducts might be a nice environmental twist to what they did and would make their services stick out in their customers mind.

While this company seemed quite reputable and the vendor personally seemed very honest about his interest in our products, it raised a question. What if a company approached me that was interested in using the Go Green image, but I thought them to be not reputable or would not buy from them personally? Or even worse....one that I knew was not environmentally friendly? Would I sell to them? This is the first time that I had been this close to the selling end of business and the first time I had even thought these questions.

Its an interesting question that just made me think a little bit this weekend about my business and how I go about it. One of the things that really attracts me to being a distributor for this company is that I honestly believe that they believe in what they say....helping the environment and doing it in an ethical way.

Saturday, April 26, 2008

I wanted to write about one of the Green companies we have just done some business with, Eco Green Office. They offer a wide range of eco-friendly services: office products, print services, and green marketing design. The company does absolutely outstanding work. Not only that, but the proprietors of the company are excellent to work for and provide some of the best customer service that I have experienced recently.

Their mission is "to provide affordable environmentally friendly office products. and services for organizations and individuals striving to be green." They tout value added service which I definitely experienced. If you are ever in the market for green office products or design services, I highly recommend them.

They designed and printed I flyer that I am currently using and it looks absolutely outstanding. Come check them out here.

Thursday, April 24, 2008

Just wanted to write about a guide that I discovered for those of us going Green. The folks at ReDirect Guide publish a written booklet and host a web site which is "The local healthy and sustainable lifestyle directory."

Basically it is a listing of local businesses that promote going Green or organic or just are Eco friendly. They have a neat concept, promote local businesses that in turn try and help people redirect their spending patterns in a more earth sustainable way. They want to show that shopping and doing business like this is not expensive for the individual consumer and economical for business. I think its a wonderful tie in of Business and Green. I have talked to one of their reps and they are awesome to deal with!

Wednesday, April 23, 2008

Interesting article I read today about health and kids. I for one am guilty of letting my kids watch a little too much TV at times. But....this sort of article makes one think. We as parents definately need to care for our children, but ensure that they are healthy. This includes enough exercise and the right kinds of foods. It definately gives one food for thought and makes you think about how our kids live their lives.

Our family has gone to ordering organic produce and we love it. Not only that, but the kids love the taste as well.

Here is an excerpt from the article. The full article can be read here."Thanks largely to medical and public health advances, Americans are living longer than ever. The average life expectancy in 2005, the latest year for which figures are available, was nearly 78. That's up from 47 in 1900 and 68 in 1950.But even as the market for anti-aging pills and products has never been hotter with Americans seeking a longer life, some experts say we as a nation are doing ourselves in with our couch-potato culture of eating way too much and exercising far too little. Some health professionals even raise the controversial notion that today's generation of kids like Justin — about a third of whom are overweight or obese — may be the first to live shorter lives than their parents.'Like advanced aging'"All of the signs are pointing in the wrong direction," says Dr. Jennifer Shu, an Atlanta pediatrician and spokesperson for the American Academy of Pediatrics."Young kids are getting what have traditionally been adult-type diseases — type 2 diabetes and heart disease," she says. "It's like advanced aging.""These kids are headed for real trouble," agrees S. Jay Olshansky, a professor of public health and a researcher at the Center on Aging at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Their parents may not be faring so well, either, he says. Two-thirds of American adults are overweight or obese.What's your chance of reaching a very old age? That can depend on when you were born and even where you live. Click to find out more.In 2005, Olshansky and colleagues published a paper in The New England Journal of Medicine predicting that in the coming decades, the obesity epidemic and its health consequences would reverse the upward longevity curve in America over the last century, slashing life expectancy by two to five years — more than the impact of cancer or heart disease.Olshansky says he's particularly concerned about obesity in children, which has tripled since 1970, because they could be dealing with diabetes, heart disease and other weight-related health problems for a longer period of time and face a greater toll. "

Some conventional cleaning products can contain questionable chemicals like phthalates, butyl cellosolve, sodium hydroxide, ammonia, or formaldehyde. Why would you endanger your health or the health of the planet with harsh chemicals and toxic substances when you can choose natural and healthier alternatives?Switch to your cleaning products. Our cleaners offerschoices that are safe, nontoxic, and natural, and they work wonderfully. These products are formulated using sustainably sourced ingredients from natural sources, like activated enzymes or biodegradable cleaning agents derived from corn and coconuts. When you welcome our products into your home, you’re not exposing your family to many of the dangerous chemicals found in conventional cleaners.A great way to start is with the Go GreenStarter Kit—everything you need to clean your home. To order yours, visit our website and take a look.

#2) Start Using your Dishwasher!

Using the dishwasher is actually better for the planet than washing dishes by hand. The average energy-efficient dishwasher uses just 4 gallons of water per cycle, saving nearly 5,000 gallons of water per year compared with hand washing—as well as $40 in energy costs and 230 hours of washing time, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.Make sure to use a phosphate-free detergent. Phosphates spur algae blooms and are a major source of water pollution. Clean Dish Wash Automatic Concentrate is one of the first phosphate-free automatic dish wash detergents.

#3) Ditch the Anti-bacterial Hand Soap:

Triclosan, a common ingredient in antibacterial soap that kills microbes, ends up in our water sources and, at specific levels, is acutely and chronically toxic to aquatic life. Moreover, overuse of antibacterial and antimicrobial soap can help create antibiotic-resistant bacteria, which may weaken the effectiveness of currently useful antibiotics. Antibacterial soap doesn’t offer any better protection against illness than vigorous hand washing with plain soap and warm water.Go Clean Hand Wash Concentrate is a great antibacterial-free alternative. It’s soap free, pH balanced, hypoallergenic, and has biodegradable surfactants.

#4) Bring your own bag:

Okay, we’ve all heard this one, but it’s true. Neither paper nor plastic is the ideal choice. Paper is accepted in more recycling programs, but only approximately 20% is recycled, and most bags can end up in landfills. Plastic bags not only can take a thousand years to decompose and but use up nonrenewable resources. The best choice? Bring your own reusable bag. A sturdy, reusable one can take the place of hundreds or maybe even thousands of single-use bags over its lifetime.Get Clean offers lightweight, sturdy, reusable shopping bags in a bright green color with the Get Clean logo, so you can spread the word while you shop.

Use your consumer power to support companies that are environmentally responsible and offer products that are safe for you and the environment. Our company has a long history of environmental responsibility, including introducing one of the first biodegradable cleaners in 1960.Shaklee is the first company in the world to obtain Climate Neutral™ certification and totally offset its greenhouse gas emissions.

Pass the word on by either linking to this blog or e-mailing this information! Together we can all make a difference!

Monday, April 21, 2008

OK, definately had a humbling moment yesterday. Decided to go for a short run yesterday and my daughter begged me to go along with her. Now she is seven years old and wanted to go along with me while riding her bike.

I figured ....well...if she can't keep up, its OK. I can run slower if I have to. Needless to say, I was shown up by a seven year old. Not only did she smoke me on her bike, but more than once she asked, "Dad, are you tired", or "Are you sweating? I am not."

I guess I learned my lesson. I am not the High School sports star nor the Army stud that could run for hours at a time. I guess I need to take more of the supplements that I sell in order to keep up with her......

Friday, April 18, 2008

OK everyone, my first official blog as a stay-at-home/work-at-home Dad. I intend this blog to be a little about my story of why I decided to do this, a little about my work and how its the best kind of work I've ever done, and how I am the happiest I have been in years.

So how did I get to this point you might ask? Well, let me tell you, I was the last person in the world that I would ever imagine being at home. As a former Army Officer, and operations/financial manager for a Fortune 500 company, I would have been what many considered to be career driven.

That is until I had my "I have had enough!!!" moment a couple of months ago. I got to the point where I really hated the work environment I was in, was tired and grouchy all the time, and absolutely was not enjoying the corporate environment at all with the "Bottom line or else" mentality. I decided to had to make an exit strategy. I really wanted to get back to working for someone/something that would help others, something with a helpful "big picture" kind of company.

Parallel to what I was doing in the Army and "civilian" career, my wife had started up a small business of her own. Its focused on environmentally cleaning and health and wellness products.Go check it out. Anyway, this business had developed into quite a good second/part time income for us.

So, this was my plan, we had enough $$ for me to quit, and look for a job for a couple of months. I wanted to get into a job more service oriented. Besides, with my wife's small business, we would be fine for a while. The plan was for me to help her expand her business, and look for a job at the same time. Her business fit in exactly with what I was looking for on a full-time basis. Let me say, this was the plan at least! I can still remember me coming home from the gym the first day after I had left my job saying, "Well, here I am, what do you need me to do here!"

To make a long story short, less than a week and a half after I left my job, my wife got a full-time job offer! And she wasn't even looking for a job. It was as a City Planner (think zoning kind of stuff), which she did prior to me hauling her all over the world with the Army. WOW! So, in military terms.....we improvised..adapted...and overcame the obstacle we were faced with. We decided for her to take the job, and for me to work on expanding her business. Or, should I say, our business now!

So, that is the beginning of it all for me. Not exactly the plan, but let me tell you I am enjoying the heck out of it. Its great to spend time with the kids. My wife loves her job, and I really enjoy what I am learning in our business and expanding it.

Why did I choose Jolly Green Dad? Well "Jolly" in that I am happy doing what I am doing (no i am not big santa claus kin of jolly), "Green" for the kind of business we are in, and "Dad" because I am a work-at-home/stay-at-home Dad now!

Phew, and that was the short version of my story. It would be great to hear from other Dads or other small business owners who might have similar stories, particularly those that have had their own "Had enough" moment and changed what they have been doing. I believe